I'm not a tech geek but the idea of progress intrigues me. I read what i can find and trust that mathematical proofs hold out and that whoever developed them double checked their formulas, carried the one and had a much better understanding of imaginary numbers. Or at least where they are useful, as i fail to see where anything imaginary can be useful in regards to reality outside of consciousness. And not to get to far off track, if something that is as paradoxical as the square of -1 can lead to mathematical proofs that apply to the real world then perhaps i need to start smoking weed again and contemplate the nature of reality, matter, and the role that consciousness plays in our perception of the universe.
Fuck that. Back to progress.
Let's go back. Way back.... It's 1977 and i'm merely a proverbial twinkle. Steve Something-or-Other has hand built the Apple I computer a few years back and its successor the Apple II is now available for purchase by the general public. The Apple II was the first mass produced microcomputer and its success led the way into the information age and as we shall see helped transform the entire world in regards to information sharing and development.
So, for a mere $2638 (A whopping $9370.88 in today"s dollars) the buyer would receive a heavy (7 to 8 lbs) greige coloured (yup. pale grey mixed with ivory equals greige, possibly the most bland colour in the visible spectrum) unit the size of a typewriter
with a a monitor the size of a 12inch TV on top of it and an audio cassette deck on the side about the size of a large walkman. This was replaced in 1978 by the floppy disk drive.* * *
Fast forward to 2009...In only a little longer than i have been alive humanity has seen some of the most influential changes in every facet of socio-cultural, political and economic development and communication in history. Most of these changes are rooted in the invention of the microprocessor and the massive access to information that developed alongside of it.
Enter the iPhone,
weighing in at 4.8 ounces of sleek plastic and alloy. This much coveted electronic device is also demonstration of the progress of design in regards to its utilitarian ancestor, as well as the change in public perception regarding consumption. The focus on the Apple II was its capability not it's aesthetic value. "Hobbyists, so the arguments went, didn't care as much for appearance as they did for substance... Jobs wanted to model the case for the Apple after those Hewlett-Packard used for its calculators. He admired their sleek, fresh lines, their hardy finish, and the way they looked at home on a table or desk." The shift in the value placed on well designed and aesthetically pleasant consumer goods by the public demonstrable as thus. I would argue Jobs intention was to market a product that seamlessly integrated into a family dwelling thereby establishing a normality for an otherwise alien device while the iPhone is designed to allow its user efficient and easy use of the device while simultaneously demarcating and identifying her as part of a demographic that carries a number of complex presumptions driven by marketing and the specific socio-economic sphere in which she lives and works. This I feel is simply a result of the normalization of technological change upon the generations that followed the introduction of the Apple II. And now... The spec battle between the Apple II, the first mass produced microcomputer and the Apple iPhone, a multifunctional wireless communication device (smartphone)
Apple II
Size: Apple II: 15.4 x 17.9 x 4.6 inches w/o monitor. iPhone: 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches.
Weight: Apple II: 7 lbs w/o monitor. iPhone: 4.8 ounces
Processor speed: Apple II: 1.0 MHz. iPhone: 620 MHz
RAM: Apple II: 65K max. iPhone: 256 Mb with up to 64 GB storage on a flash drive
OS: Apple II: BASIC in ROM. iPhone: OS X
Display: Apple II: 6 colours. iPhone: 3.5-inch (diagonal) Widescreen Multi-Touch display. 10 trillion colours or something like that
Resolution: Apple II: 280 X 192, 40 X 24 text. iPhone: 480-by-320-pixel resolution at 163 ppi
Keyboard: Apple II: Not included. iPhone: Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously through a touch screen interface.
Extra features: Apple II: composite video output port, one vertical expansion slot. iPhone: 3Mp Digital Camera, recording, VGA up to 30 fps with audio, Photo and video geotagging, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Assisted GPS and digital compass, video playback supporting most formats.
Accessories:Apple II: Game Paddles. iPhone: Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic, Dock Connector to USB Cable USB Power Adapter (many other accessories available)
Number Produced: Apple II: 200 iPhone: 4.4 million sold as of 2009
* * *
The success of the iPhone is directly linked to the successful development of the Apple II and while the power of the iPhone outstrips desktop computers well into the 1990's it makes this writer wonder what the next 30 years will have in store for us. If we can get around Moore's law and keep up the Law of Accelerating returns then we are likely to see unsurpassed progress and tech development.
An analysis of the history of technology shows that technological change is exponential, contrary to the common-sense "intuitive linear" view. So we won't experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century -- it will be more like 20,000 years of progress (at today's rate). The "returns," such as chip speed and cost-effectiveness, also increase exponentially. There's even exponential growth in the rate of exponential growth. Within a few decades, machine intelligence will surpass human intelligence, leading to The Singularity -- technological change so rapid and profound it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history. The implications include the merger of biological and nonbiological intelligence, immortal software-based humans, and ultra-high levels of intelligence that expand outward in the universe at the speed of light.
Cool.
That is if we can keep from driving ourselves to extinction.
* * *
Joe Torzewski. was an early purchaser of an Apple I in 1977 and proving the maxim regarding the more things change.... soon after purchasing his computer he quickly received notice from Apple that the new Apple II was about to be released and as a result they were dropping support for his outdated model.
Fuckers.
Sources: http://apple2history.org/history/ah02.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II_series#Data_storage
http://oldcomputers.net/appleii.html
http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/01/iphone-processor-found-620mhz-arm/
http://www.kurzweilai.net/articles/art0134.html?printable=1
